By Soyoung Kim
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, killing about 9.6 million people in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cancer happens due to abnormal cell growth, and can attack various body organs such as lung, colorectal, pancreatic.
Early detection can improve the survival rate significantly but most people have limited access. As such, it is seen as a meaningful breakthrough when GRAIL’s clinical laboratory has recently introduced a blood test that can detect more than 50 cancers: the Galleri.
The Galleri can find deadly cancers that are difficult to detect, such as the pancreatic, ovarian, and esophageal cancers. Just by detecting it during an early phase, it can help save many people from these so-called silent killers.
This groundbreaking blood test tracks the DNA with the cancer cell in our blood. Then, it finds the small tumor-derived DNA in the blood which can identify the type of cancer based on the pattern. Mayo Clinic has tested with 6,600 participants, leading to only less than one percent of false results, which is considered a high rate of accuracy.
However, the American Cancer Society states that 71% of cancer deaths do not stem from the types of cancers most commonly scanned for. The most frequently recommended screening tests are for Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal cancer, and many professionals suggest more research into all these tests. The company further advises that this new blood test should be used in addition to—not as a replacement for—other known screening protocols. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not officially given its full approval for the new test yet, they and the test’s creators are still working to lower the cancer mortality rate, in hopes of saving millions of lives.
The Galleri test is recommended for those over 50 years old. Currently, individuals might expect to pay as much as $949 dollars per test, as insurance may not cover the cost. For more information, visit the galleri website at: https://www.galleri.com